Keith (klemmons@airmail.net ) pointed us to a NOAA site for their new
ENC charts system. http://chartmaker.ncd.noaa.gov/mcd/enc/index.htm    I
spent a day reading, downloading and exploring the charts and several
free viewers.  It was very interesting but also quite confusing as NOAA
provides so many files and sub-directories within their .ZIP downloads.
I'm still trying to figure it all out.

However, I did download enough charts to exercise three of the
recommended free S-57 viewers.  Fugawi,
http://www.fugawi.com/viewenc/viewenc.html  Caris
http://www.caris.com/free/index.cfm and Sevencs SeeMyDEnc
http://www.sevencs.com/  Out of these three, I would rate Sevencs best,
Caris second and Fugawi a distant third.  If you have experience with
these or any other S57 viewers, free or otherwise, please post to the
list.

What is exciting is the endorsement of the universal S-57 format ENC by
NOAA.  What I read is that these electronic charts are a fully legal
replacement for paper charts in the commercial and recreational world.
I also read about the capabilities of electronically updating
raster-based charts on a pixel by pixel basis, something I did not know.
It's a brave new world!

IMO, this points a direction to the end of paper-based charts as we know
them now.  Theoretically, one can print their own, but that assumes a
rather expensive, large format printer....  not something the average
boater has access to, at least not yet.  But NOAQ is promoting and some
chart dealers are now doing "print on demand" which means, at the least,
the chart you buy will be right up-to-date.  Whether this process will
result in cheaper printed charts, I don't know.  Certainly, large format
printers are becoming more common and much less expensive, so
eventually, one might be able to get a chart printed cheaper at Kinkos.
Moreover, one can print chart "cells" on a normal color printer which is
a small section of a large scale chart.  Theoretically one could buy a
single large scale paper chart and then print selections of that chart
from the equivalent ENC.

Around this part of the world, a full set of new NOAA paper charts to
tour the inside passage to Glacier Bay can run you about $5,000.00!

In addition, I don't know where the Canadians are in all of this free
ENC chart business.  The NOAA website implies that many countries are
involved but it is not clear to me how.  Can I download a full-blown
S-57 CHS chart free?

None of this new S-57 format provides one with Electronic Computer
Navigation (ECN).  To do that you will still need a commercial ECN
application of some kind.  However, it would seem logical that as the
charts are available free, some ECN publishers will have to rethink
their offerings.  I know that Nobeltec is looking at this right now.

I also think that the Passport chart sets that I own seem to be far more
comprehensive than the comparable S-57 charts, but NOAA claims their
version 2 ENC charts are as complete as the equivalent NOAA paper chart
so maybe I am just not looking at it right.

Comments!  If some of you have experience with these let's discuss!

Joe Engel

Portland, OR

Joe, thanks for informing us that the S-57 series of viewers are worth
pursuing, I intend to put some time on it very shortly.  One semi-off-topic
point that I'm wondering if the list has ever pursued:  With a foot in both
the maritime and aviation worlds, I'm always amazed to see that our marine
charts cost an arm-and-a-leg and are updated very rarely.  Yet aviation
sectional and TCA (class B) similar charts, produced by the same agency, are
less than half the price of marine charts (while they contain at least as
much if not more information) and are updated 3-4 times a year!

I recognize the inherent risks to outdated chart data are probably greater
in the aviation community, at least from their perspective, but how did they
manage to convince NOAA to produce their charts for half the price and
update them several times a year!  A NOAA chart for San Francisco Bay, like
most others, costs over $16.00 now and is updated about every 6-8 years!  A
NOAA aviation chart for roughly the same area, with at least as much
information on it, costs $5.50 and is updated 3-4 times a year!

Do they really have that much of a better lobby in D.C.?

Bob Peterson

Keith (klemmons@airmail.net ) pointed us to a NOAA site for their new
ENC charts system. http://chartmaker.ncd.noaa.gov/mcd/enc/index.htm    I
spent a day reading, downloading and exploring the charts and several
free viewers.  It was very interesting but also quite confusing as NOAA
provides so many files and sub-directories within their .ZIP downloads.
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